Lately I have been listening to the new Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 headphones, which just launched at the very beginning of summer. With a feature set that packs active noise cancellation, multipoint Bluetooth connectivity, and 50-hour battery life, the functionality I am most excited to talk about moves past all of those standouts to put bass in the spotlight.
Hands-on with the new Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2
Last pair of earbuds or headphones I checked in on, the Sony XM5 buds stole the show with some of the most high-fidelity audio and noise isolating ANC on the market for a true wireless listening experience. Now I am back with not necessarily the opposite, but a listening experience that can hardly be described as delivering those same subtle playback nuances that Sony’s latest do deliver.
Instead, we’re checking out the roaring and bass-heavy Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2. With a name like that, you’re probably already aware of what you’re getting yourself into with a pair of headphones like this. Bass really is the name of the game here, and the company delivers unlike anything I have ever experienced from a pair of over-ears.
Back when I first got my hands-on the new Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 in May, I said I would be back with a full review. And now a few months later, here I am! I have been daily driving these on and off since they first arrived on my door step, and boy do I have some thoughts about these absolutely unique headphones.
Skullcandy’s whole thing with the Crusher ANC 2 is that these headphones deliver music you can feel. It’s largely the one selling point that separates these from other models on the market, and at the center of that feature set is some of the most insane bass I have ever heard.
On the back of the headphones alongside the rest of the controls, you’ll find a dedicated bass slider. It’s the first indication for just how seriously the Crusher ANC 2 take bass performance in theory, and a very helpful hardware inclusion in practice. I love being able to adjust the setting in real time, especially with swapping between such different times of music all day. If you’re like me and are listening to a Two Friends DJ mix one minute, and them something a bit more toned down like the new Carly Rae Jepson album, then you’ll appreciate having the ability to make on-the-fly adjustments always within reach.
As far as sound quality goes, the overall soundstage is a little flat without the bass. You can very much tell that these are made for rocking out with the bass slider cranked up a bit, as turning it down the whole way means you’re left with some pretty average audio. It’s fine, but really nothing amazing when you remove the low-end from the equation. So if you’re in search of crisp vocals and soft harmonics, then you’re going to want to look elsewhere.
Alongside sounding like a walking EDM club, there are some respectable features for Skullcandy’s latest that are of course worth mentioning. The 50 hours of listening is seriously impressive on paper, and backs that with very consistent performance in real life. Charging these was really the last thing I ever thought about, but when I did have to, there was at least a USB-C port. The Skull-IQ tech to deliver voice control over the playback settings was a neat trick, but nothing close to what you can do with Siri or Google Assistant.
I’ve also really loved the multipoint connectivity that makes the cut this time around thanks to Bluetooth 5.2. It’s one of those inclusions that is quickly becoming a must-have feature for any pair of headphones I look for. Something entirely at the opposite end of the spectrum but still equally appreciated, Tile tracking is onboard, so you can find the headphones should you ever misplace them. All around, Skullcandy isn’t skimping out here, and the feature set definitely reflects that.
As for the ANC, I almost had the tagline of this review be who needs ANC when you have booming bass, which would have been very accurate because there really isn’t much of a difference if you’re listening to these headphones with the active noise cancellation enabled or not when the bass is going to drown out any ambient audio. This is fantastic, because even the loudest subway train was absolutely no match for the Crusher ANC 2. They do an alright job of blocking out sound when no music is playing, but nothing that I would write home about. Like the sound quality being just alright, bass really does make up for the average ANC performance.
One thing that did surprise me about the Crusher ANC 2 is that I thought the sound bleed would be a lot worse than it is. But I suppose we have Skullcandy’s plush ear cups to thank, as these aren’t anything too atrocious. I was worried wearing these out and about that people would look at me in the same way that they do when a car cruises down the street absolutely blasting high-bass music. But in actual practice, these weren’t any worse than some of the other over-ear headphones in my collection. Who would have thought that the music you can feel tagline would also mean that only you could hear it?
All of that leads me to the price tag, which is a bit steep at $229.99. You can currently score yourself a pair for that price over at Amazon, where the headphones are now in stock.
Electronicsforward’ Take
The new Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 headphones are not going to be for everyone. Plain and simple. These headphones arrive not as the pair that has a little something for every listener, but as the only pair that can truly satisfy the intensity that bass lovers will simply adore. Daily driver is hardly the first thing that comes to mind here, and that is entirely alright!
Skullcandy knows what these new headphones are, and just like how the Crusher ANC 2 isn’t shy about how ludicrous the bass output is, there really is no hiding it. These are are only going to appeal to a more niche group of listeners than your flagship releases from Sony, Bose, and Sennheiser. But if you’ve listening to to higher-end releases from those brands and still find yourself looking for a little something extra in the low end of the audio spectrum, then you’re going to be head over heals for the Crusher ANC 2.
My final takeaway is that the $230 price tag makes these hard to recommend. Don’t get me wrong, I do think that the Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 deliver everything the company touts that they do. The bass output is frankly absurd sometimes and the rest of the features aren’t bad, either. But does that earn them such a steep price tag? I think not. For that kind of cash, you’re walking into the price range that some of the more well-rounded options out there clock in at.
Does that mean these are a rip off? Hardly. You’re getting a premium package that still sounds respectable, Skullcandy just put all of its eggs into the bass basket. And if you can’t appreciate that, then look elsewhere. If you can? You’re in for what has to be the most concert-like listening experience I’ve heard from a pair of headphones.
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